In general, the present invention addresses the problem of diverting a moving flow of products. It has been developed with particular attention to its possible use in the field of automatic packaging plants (automatic packaging machines).
In this field of application (but also in other situations of use) the need arises to be able to divert a flow of products which are advancing continuously or substantially continuously in a certain initial direction so that the flow of products in question moves in a final direction which is inclined at a generally acute angle to the initial direction, that is--according to the meaning to be attributed to this term in the present description and, where necessary, in the following claims--at an angle of less than 30.degree..
This need is experienced in particular in any situation in which two flows of products or articles are to be made to converge in a generally "Y"-shaped arrangement.
It arises, for example, in situations in which the two input branches of the "Y"-shaped convergence are represented respectively by a flow of products to be packed and a flow of accessory elements, for example cards, to be inserted beneath one or more products so as to form the base of a package. The output branch of the "Y" is thus constituted by a flow of articles, possibly in groups, disposed on respective cards; this output flow can thus be sent, for example, towards a wrapping machine for forming wrappers of the type currently known as "flow-packs" or "form-fill-seal" wrappers or simply FFSs, so as to produce finished packages, each of which contains one or more articles disposed on a base card and wrapped in a tubular wrapper of sheet material closed at its ends by sealing flanges (or flaps). In this field of application, the cards can be supplied by a conveyor line (for example, a chain conveyor with entrainment teeth or nibs) which defines or is aligned with the supply line to the wrapping machine. The flow of articles to be placed on the cards therefore converges with the main entrainment line from one side at a generally acute angle so that the flow of products has to be diverted angularly as the products are loaded onto the base cards.
In the field referred to by way of example (it should be noted, however, that the same problems may also arise in a practically identical manner in quite different situations of use) in order to achieve a completely satisfactory angular diversion of the flow it is necessary to take account of various factors, such as:
the growing tendency to use ever-faster operating rates in automatic packaging plants--and hence ever-faster linear velocities of movement of the products processed--which means that even quite light products acquire considerable momentum and thus exhibit a certain inertia in relation to any operations to divert the direction of the flow;
the need to avoid discontinuities in the surfaces which support the products between conveyor elements disposed in cascade, particularly for small products which themselves exhibit fairly unstable equilibrium (for example, pralines in respective pleated paper cases) since discontinuities may cause the products to fall over or even roll along the conveyor lines;
the need to conserve precise relative positioning between successive products even after the flow has been diverted; the diversion of the flow is in fact often carried out on products which are already "synchronised", that is to say, already located in precise temporal and spatial relationships relative to the elements which have to receive and process them in the stations of the plant further downstream, and
the fact that the products processed may themselves be very delicate (for example, very soft or doughy confectionery products) so that too firm a handling operation may give rise to damage to the product which is disadvantageous both as regards the possible alteration of the product, and as regards the risk that parts of the product may be detached therefrom and fall onto the conveyor line, resulting in jamming.
Naturally, in some particular situations of use, the list of problems outlined above may not be exhaustive.
The main object of the present invention is to provide means for diverting a moving flow of products without giving rise to the problems cited above.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the flow diversion device according to the invention, in which a stream of products is conveyed in an initial direction to a point of diversion, by a flexible conveyor belt having a discharge edge formed by a roller, or a so-called feather edge, which is substantially parallel to a final direction of advance. A receiving element in the form of a circular disc, which is coplanar with the conveyor belt and has its periphery substantially tangential to the discharge edge, receives the products and transfers them to a second conveyor which is aligned in the final direction of advance.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.